Experiencing Transformation of Professional Identity: From Teaching to Leadership in a Small Rural Primary School in Cyprus

The study used the Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002) model on teacher professional growth to investigate the changes and the transition of professional identity when a deputy head teacher was appointed as an acting head teacher in a small rural primary school in Cyprus. The head teacher had no previous experience in headship, and did not receive any training or followed an induction course to the job. The goal of the study was to identify ways to support novice acting head teachers for effective leadership in the complexities of small primary schools. Data was collected through diary notes and semi-structured interviews using thematic analysis of qualitative data. The analysis revealed the importance of the interaction between the external stimuli and information through informal professional learning in the role set and the personal knowledge and previous experience. Feelings of isolation as the main outcome of this experience enabled changes in leadership practice through enactment and reflection. The teacher’s suggestions for a professional learning program could be the contribution of her personal experience on the educational context

Policies and practices for teaching sociocultural diversity - A framework of teacher competences for engaging with diversity (2010)

Teacher education institutions have a crucial role in the process of developing competences for diversity in education. The Council of Europe Project “Policies and practices for teaching socio-cultural diversity” is intended as a response to certain key questions connected with initial teacher education and the introduction of common principles in relation to the management of school diversity. It is therefore addressed both to education policy-makers, and to teacher educators.This publication (Volume 3 in the project series) has key competences as a focal point, opening up for discussions about what is needed both at the level of teacher education institutions, schools and individual teachers. In this volume it has been equally important to give space for the process of developing competences for teaching socio-cultural diversity